Football shoe



Sept. 20, 1966 M. GoLDz-:NBr-:RG

FOOTBALL SHOE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed March 18. l1963 was' INVENTOR. M/CHAEL GOLD'A/BfRG BY CQMwv/,w/MP/,Mw/ e Cal/n/ ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 20, 1966 M. GoLDENBl-:RG

FOOTBALL SHOE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed March 18, 1965 INVENTOR.

M/C/AL GOLDVBERG ATTORNEVS.

United States Patent O 3 Claims. (Cl. 3.6-2.5)

This application is a continuation of application Serial No. 265,977, filed March 18, 1963, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a novel football shoe.

Football shoes currently in use are constructed of a conventional shoe upper with an insole and outsole. A steel plate is provided between the insole and outsole in the sole or tap area and a second steel plate is provided between the insole and outsole in the heel area. The purpose of these steel plates is to serve as anchors for the cleats which are secured to the shoes.

It has been found that the football shoes currently used suffer from a number of disadvantages. One of these is that their weight is excessive because of the large amount of steel necessary. Another disadvantage is that, with continued use, the steel will oxidize and rust. This rusting ultimately results in the breaking of the steel plate and the subsequent destruction of the shoe sole. The reason the shoe sole is ruined is that it cannot sustain the pressure of the cleats after the collapse of the steel plate.

The foregoing disadvantages are all obviated by the football shoe of this invention. The use of steel plates is completely eliminated, but their function is retained.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a novel football shoe.

It is another object of this invention to provide a football shoe having waterproof oiuter plates on its sole.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a football shoe ihaving non-corrosive lightweight cleat retaining plates.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a football shoe having a non-corrosive cleat retaining heel plate which also serves as an arch support.

These and other objects are accomplished by providing a football shoe comprising a shoe upper, an outsole, a cleat retaining plate secured to said outsole and -a plurality of cleats secured to said plate, said plate comprising a rigid waterproof plastic and being positioned below said outsole whereby said plate will contact the ground during use.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood =by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the football shoe of this invention taken from the bottom thereof;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view, partially in elevation, taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a modification of the football shoe of this invention, taken from the `bottom thereof; and,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view, partially in elevation, taken along t-he line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, a football shoe embodying the present invention is generally shown at in FIG. 1.

As seen in FIG. 2, article 10 basically comprises a conventional football shoe upper 12 having an inturned edge portion 14 which is secured between insole 16 and leather outsole 18. The outsole is secured in .place by conventional stitching 20.

ICC

A tap lor sole plate 22 is secured to the: forward portion of outsole 18 by rivets 24. Additionally, plate 22 is adhesively 4secured to outsole 18.

Plate 22 is used for retaining cleats 26 on the shoe, and replaces the steel plate which was previously used. Plate 22 is made of a rigid, water-impervious plastic. A plastic which is preferred for this use is nylon. The thickness of the plastic can vary between approximately 1/32 of an inch to 1/s of an inch.

Cleats 26 are mounted on the shoe by providing a plurality of holes through insole 16, outsole 18 -and tap plate 22. A pin 28 Ihaving a disk 30 at one end thereof is inserted through each of these holes (FIG. 2). Each pin has a threaded end 32 which projects through tap plate 22. Cleat 26 has a hollow central bore in which is mounted an internally threaded shaft 34. Shaft 34 is closed at its outer end by tip 36.

As seen in FIG. 2, tip 36 is of approximately the same diameter as the lower end of tapered cleat 26. Shaft 34 is secured to cleat 26 such as by embedding projections on the shaft within the cleat. The cleat is mounted on the shoe by threadedly securing shaft 34 on the threaded end 32 of pin 28. This threaded securement can be accomplished lby providing a Washer 38 between tap plate 22 and cleat 26. Cleat 26 is additionally provided with a hexagonal head 40 which is adapted to receive a wrench for turning the cleat. Thus, as the cleat is rotated by a wrench, the threaded securement between pin 28 and shaft 34 is obtained. Disk 30 insures that the cleat will be held in place. Disks 30 are covered by sock liner 41, which extends along the entire length of the insole. If desired, sock liner 41 can have a fabric facing with a sponge rubber backing to add to the wearers comfort.

The heel of the shoe is also provided with a plate 42 which is glued to the heel portion of the outsole 18. A tapered shank 44 which is integral with heel plate 42 extends into the arch of the shoe. A rivet 46 is used to provide an additional securement of the plate 42 in the arch area. A pair of cleats 26 are secured to the shoe in the heel area by securement to heel plate 42. These cleats are identical to cleats 26 previously described.

It is thus seen that the foot-ball shoe of this invention does not require the conventional steel plate positioned between the insole and outsole to anchor cleats 26 in place. Instead, sole or tap plate 22 and heel plate 42 serve this anchoring function. Both the heel plate and the tap plate are made from a rigid Water-impervious plastic. These plates are sufficiently strong to maintain the Icleats in place and will not be destroyed by continuous hard use. As pointed out above, a preferred plastic is nylon. However, any plastic which can be formed into a sheet which is rigid and lwater repellent can be used.

In addition to providing an anchor for securing cleats 26, the heel and tap plates serve the additional function o'f being a protective covering for the outsole. Thus, since the plates are water-impervious and are secured directly to the outsole, no water will be absorbed by the outsole in these areas, This serves to prolong the life of the shoe.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of integral shank 44 on heel plate 42 which projects into the arch area of the shoe. This shank serves as an arch support in the shoe. Without this support the sole might collapse in the arch area with the resultant discomfort and often falling arches of the wearer.

It is seen in FIG. 1 that the sole plate and heel plate comprise the major area of the sole of the shoe. However, it has `been found that it is not possible to use a single plate covering the entire sole of the shoe. One reason for this is that the plastic cannot be sewed in place. Additionally, if the plate were continuous the adhesive would not be strong enough to keep the sole from separating from the rest of the shoe at the normal bend point of the foot. Furthermore, the provision of a continuous plate would tend to prevent the exing of the shoe as would normally occur when it is worn.

In FIG. 3 there is shown a modified embodiment of the football shoe of this invention. This shoe is substantially identical to the embodiment of FIG. 1 in that it includes the shoe upper 12, an insole 16, an outsole 18 and a plurality of cleats 26. It also includes sole plate 22 which is identical to the sole plate of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 -and 2. The only difference in this embodiment resides in heel plate 48. In this embodiment heel plate 48 only covers the heel area but does not include the shank which extends into the arch area as an arch support. In `all other respects it is identical to heel plate 42, and it is also made from a rigid lwater-impervious plastic such as nylon.

It is thus seen that this invention provides a football shoe which possesses many advantages over the prior art football shoes which use a steel plate for the purpose of retaining the cleats. Although this invention has been specifically described with respect to football shoes, it is to be understood that it may also be applied to other athletic shoes such as baseball and golf shoes. However, it has been found to be particularly advantageous for use on football shoes which are subjected to the more severe playing conditions.

Although this invention has been described with respect to a specic cleat, it is to be understood that the cleat forms no part of this invention. Thus, this football shoe is adapted to be used with any cleat and is not limited to the specific cleat disclosed. In the embodiment disclosed, cleat 26 is formed from nylon and the securing pin, shaft and washer are metallic.

Obviously, many modications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. A football shoe comprising a shoe upper, an outsole, a pair of spaced rigid nylon cleat-retaining plates positioned on the exterior surface of said outsole, with one of said plates being positioned in the tap area of said outsole and the other of said plates being positioned in the heel area of said outsole, means adhesively securing said plates to said outsole, rivets additionally securing said plate in the tap area to said outsole, and each of said plates having a plurality of cleats secured thereto.

2. A football shoe comprising a shoe upper, an outsole, a pair of spaced, rigid, nylon, cleat-retaining plates positioned on the exterior surface of said outsole, with one of said plates being positioned in the tap area of said outsole and the other of said plates being positioned in the heel area of said outsole, means adhesively securing said plates to said outsole, rivets additionally securing said plates to said outsole, said plate in the heel area including an integral shank which extends into the arch area of said outsole and is positioned on the exterior of said outsole, whereby said shank serves as an arch support, and each of said plates having a plurality of cleats secured thereto.

3. The football shoe of claim 2 wherein each of said plates has a plurality of threaded pins projecting therefrom, each of said cleats being internally threaded, whereby said cleats are threadedly secured to said plates by securement on said pins.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,229,278 6/1917 Johnson 36--106 1,859,818 5/1932 Doolittle 12S-592 1,923,365 8/1933 Gaines 36-2.5 2,102,601 12/1937 Murber 36-107 2,745,197 5/1956 Holt 36-107 FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner. 

2. A FOOTBALL SHOE COMPRISING A SHOE UPPER, AN OUTSOLE, A PAIR OF SPACED, RIGID, NYLON, CLEAT-RETAINING PLATES POSITIONED ON THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID OUTSOLE, WITH ONE OF SAID PLATES BEING POSITIONED IN THE TAP AREA OF SAID OUTSOLE AND THE OTHER OF SAID PLATES BEING POSTIONED IN THE HEEL AREA OF SAID OUTSOLE, MEANS ADHESIVELY SECURING SAID PLATES TO SAID OUTSOLE, RIVETS ADDITIONALLY SECURING SAID PLATES TO SAID OUTSOLE, SAID PLATE IN THE HEEL AREA INCLUDING AN INTEGRAL SHANK WHICH EXTENDS INTO THE ARCH AREA OF SAID OUTSOLE AND IS POSITIONED ON THE EXTERIOR OF SAID OUTSOLE, WHEREBY SAID SHANK SERVES AS AN ARCH SUPPORT, AND EACH OF SAID PLATES HAVING A PLURALITY OF CLEATS SECURED THERETO. 